diff --git a/.circleci/config.yml b/.circleci/config.yml
index 0a6f057..485a305 100644
--- a/.circleci/config.yml
+++ b/.circleci/config.yml
@@ -23,7 +23,7 @@ workflows:
           context: [ qqq-maven-registry-credentials ]
           filters:
             branches:
-              ignore: /(develop|main|release/.*|hotfix/.*|integration.*)/
+              ignore: /(develop|main|release/.*|integration.*)/
             tags:
               only: []  
 
@@ -63,15 +63,3 @@ workflows:
               only: [ main ]
             tags:
               only: [ /^v\d+\.\d+\.\d+$/ ]
-
-  publish_hotfix_release:
-    jobs:
-      - qqq-orb/mvn_publish:
-          pre-steps:
-            - configure-package-install
-          context: [ qqq-maven-registry-credentials ]
-          branch_type: hotfix
-          filters:
-            branches:
-              only:
-                - /hotfix\/.*/
diff --git a/.github/workflows/release-rc.yml b/.github/workflows/release-rc.yml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..dd332a0
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.github/workflows/release-rc.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,25 @@
+# Cut the next release candidate (QRun-IO/qqq docs/QRUN-QBIT-REPO-STANDARD.md, C6):
+# run this workflow by hand, or merge a develop PR labelled `release:rc`. It merges develop into
+# the release line and the release/* push runs CircleCI publish_release_candidate.
+name: Release candidate
+
+on:
+  workflow_dispatch:
+    inputs:
+      dry_run:
+        description: Print the plan without merging or creating branches
+        type: boolean
+        default: false
+  pull_request:
+    types: [closed]
+    branches: [develop]
+
+permissions:
+  contents: write
+
+jobs:
+  release-rc:
+    if: github.event_name == 'workflow_dispatch' || (github.event.pull_request.merged == true && contains(github.event.pull_request.labels.*.name, 'release:rc'))
+    uses: QRun-IO/.github/.github/workflows/qbit-release-rc.yml@main
+    with:
+      dry_run: ${{ github.event_name == 'workflow_dispatch' && inputs.dry_run }}